


Unreadable

by WriterOfLegends



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: AU, AthleticWill, High School, M/M, NerdyNico, Nico di Angelo & Will Solace - Freeform, solangelo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-06
Updated: 2015-04-11
Packaged: 2018-03-21 12:42:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3692751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WriterOfLegends/pseuds/WriterOfLegends
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico and Will have just started high school. Their friendship had just blossomed last year, but now as the days, weeks, and months progress, Nico starts to ponder about their relationship.  More importantly, Nico finds himself.  However, as time goes on Nico tries to see if Will feels the same way, but instead his emotions are unreadable. </p>
<p>(First Story)- Will get better as time goes on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Setting the stage.

“Now please head over to the library to pick up your schedule and textbooks. Can’t wait to see you all next week!” instructed one of the many overly-cheerful 9th grade orientation leaders. She then swiftly walked away to meet with another group of confused freshman as they attempted to get familiar with the alien environment.

How can anyone be so gleeful a week before school, Nico thought to himself as he trekked across the grassy field that was placed in the center of the campus. Looking around, he suddenly felt a sharp pain his chest. Everywhere he looked he saw a pair of people talking or a group laughing together. As far as he could see, there was no one alone, except for him of course.

Nico was never an expert on social relationships or friendships. Part of the reason was because he was weird and loved the darker side of life. (Some times he would spend hours pondering about death itself). However, the reason that most people stood clear of Nico was because people thought he was generally cruel and heartless. They thought he was mean.

To be fair, they weren’t all wrong. Over the years, Nico often insulted people at every chance he got, mostly about their intelligence or lack there of. He never meant it, ever. He would always tell everyone that he was joking. However, he knew that his slander of others kept his guard up. He knew that if he kept his defenses on, no one would notice the cracks around him.

He told everyone he didn’t care about other’s words. “Sticks and Stones they say” was his go-to response.

That was a lie. He did care…  
Each day Nico would spend dozens of minutes attempting to straighten his hair all because kids would tease him about it.

He washed his face by the hour because people would comment on his acne.

He tried on innumerable pairs of clothing so that people would be distracted away from his body and his insecurities.

Truth was that Nico may have sent like a rock, unbreakable, loveless, and cold but instead he was a glass, ready to break. 

“Diangelo, Nico,” the librarian with a thick british accent said out loud, taking a small paper from a folder and breaking Nico from his train of thought. He had not even noticed that he was at the front of the line leading into the library. “Here’s your schedule and you can pick up your textbooks in the other room.” The black-haired boy thanked the women and continued in. He almost shuddered looking down at his schedule. AP Calculus BC and AP Computer Science were back-to-back periods.

Finals should be fun, Nico thought to himself. Sometimes he wondered why he ever cared so much about academics and school. But he knew why…and it was a goal that he could never give up.

“Calculus, Biology, and Spanish. The other classes do not use textbooks,” an American man explained as he gave Nico the three books. He swiftly stuffed them into his backpack and preceded outside. 

“Nico? Nico is that you!” an all too familiar voice said. Nico turned to face the sunny complexion of Will Solace. Will Solace…funny, surpassingly smart and hard-working, water-polo star, and excellent friend. Not to mention he was incredibly handsome….Nico immediately psychologically crushed the latter thought.

“Hey Will…”Nico replied, shy. Why was he shy? He never got timid, not in front of anyone…except of course-

“I thought you were going to that private school. Jupiter School For the Rich or whatever?” Will interrogated. 

“You mean Jupiter’s Academy for Talented Youth. I was…but I decided to stay here. You know familiar people, easier school, less competition for college.” Nico explained as he reflected about his experience with Will. Will had been the poster child in elementary school. He was popular, the best at the games boys would play at recess, and incredibly funny. As middle school came along, Will didn’t change. He was even more popular, likable, and comedic. Nico never had a hight opinion of the blonde-haired boy. He had always thought he was another self-centered egotistical try hard teenager. It wasn’t until the end of 8th grade until Nico finally understood that Will was so much more.

“College…pssh…excuses. You probably stayed just to have more of me,” Will teased. In that moment, some part of Nico triggered…he didn’t know. Nico put on a fake smile and laughed. 

Will said it as a joke, but to Nico it was completely true.


	2. Electricity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico starts school and has feelings...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to take this time to note something.
> 
> Not in this chapter particular, but in other chapters: Character relationships/roles you see in Heroes of Olympus might not be followed in this story. For example, Percy may not ever have been dating Annabeth, etc.
> 
> Thanks!

1:35 PM  
Nico looked back at the clock for the fifteenth time on his first day of Biology. His teacher was discussing the Survey of Life & Animal Kingdoms lab that they were going to embark on soon. For some reason, Nico, as hard as he tried, could not pay attention. He found that quite odd. The dark-haired boy prided himself on his ability to work-hard. Nico didn’t think himself to be attractive or have a nice personality and he also didn’t believe he had any talents - but he knew he could always do well at school.

If he didn’t have that….he was nothing.

But still, this was the only class that he wasn’t interested in. That may have been because his next period was English.

Yeah that’s totally it. English is so enjoyable…all that writing and figurative language and…. 

Nico knew he was kidding himself, English was where he could be close to the sunbeam in his life. The one thing that made him happy. The one part of life that he looked forward to.

He turned his head again and saw the clock had only passed a minute.

\- - -

As he hurried past familiar and old faces, the long trek from the science rooms to the English rooms quickly truncated. In only moments was he walking up the ramp to his sixth-period class. Due to his rushed walking, he expected no students to have reached. They were freshman, and Nico was still surprised that he hadn’t got lost on his way.

I guess I had motivation

He was wrong about the room being empty. Sitting in the middle of a row of desks was Will. Nico hadn’t noticed with his quick run-on on Orientation Day, but Will looked somehow heavenly. His hair was a dark gold that seemed to be the product of the very sun bleaching a sandy beach. His skin was tanned like a bright bronze medallion and his eyes were chocolate brown.

In some cultures chocolate means love…

Nico mentally slapped himself. He couldn’t be attracted to Will. It wasn’t possible - he had dated someone in Middle School. He liked girls and always would…. But, every time he looked at Will, every time he heard Will’s sonorous laughs he couldn’t help but think about the possibility. 

As Nico walked over to a seat beside Will, he looked for approval. Luckily, he got it. Will smiled his white teeth at Nico. 

His smile…Sure Will was handsome with his great features and he had a personality to die for. But his smile was the cherry on top, the addictive part. Unfortunately, their teacher had a seating chart, and Nico was swiftly moved away from Will.

He spent the rest of English sneaking glances at the boy who mad Nico question his sanity.  
\- - -  
As if it was god’s gift to him, Nico was ecstatic when he learned Will was also in his seventh-period spanish class. He was afraid that the class would have a seating chart. Sadly, his trepidations became tangible.

Luckily, the spanish teacher (or professor as he asked the students to call him) let them sit wherever they pleased on the first day. Nico did his best not to seem eager as he scurried over next to Will. 

The rest of the day was filled with his teacher rambling on about expectations and how Spanish 1 would prepare them for the rest of their Spanish career. About halfway-through the lecture, Nico put his hands on his desk. Whether it was fate or chance, Will did too. Their hands touched. Not for just a moment, or even a minute. They stayed there for the rest of the class. It was that day, that Nico finally understood his eight-grade science teacher’s lecture about conductivity and transfer of energy. The very feeling was electric.


	3. Reflection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People say the eyes are the gateway to the soul...but what if they are the gateway into your own soul?

The walk to English Class became somewhat of a trek of clarity to Nico as the school year progressed. For the three or four minutes it took to walk from his Biology class to his English classroom (it was more of a portable), Nico was able to really focus on what was truly important to him. In that time he was able to plan his schedule for his afternoon each day. He was able to allocate time for homework, studying, and leisure. It was crazy to him how just walking for a few minutes without worrying about his clothes, his hair, his breath..anything could create such a productive environment.

Unfortunately, the moment he walked into his sixth-period classroom, everything changed. He was worried about his looks. He was worried about if the pizza he ate at lunch still lingered in his mouth. He worried if his face was filled with acne or if his clothing showed his lack of muscles.

This was all thanks to one boy, Will Solace. His moment of clarity became a moment of distress. Will was the switch that altered Nico from a calm productive person to a self-conscious Nico. But even if Will made him so worried, the happiness he brought was worth it. 

Nico would never admit that Will made any hellish day bright just with a joke. Nico would never admit that Will was the reason he looked forward to school. Nico would never admit that Will made him question his personality, his feelings.

_He’s just a friend. Are we even friends? He’s just a classmate…an acquaintance if you put it. You like girls remember. You always have._

Nico attempted to look around the classroom at the familiar faces of kids from his old school. On the other side, he caught glance of one of the few students who didn’t attend their middle school. He remembered her name was Hazel. Her skin was a sweet caramel brown and her hair was curly and the color of cinnamon. Her eyes were a unique gold. She almost looked like the dessert representation of a human. In truth, she was extremely gorgeous,

 

_Hey…she looks awesome. Maybe if I crush on her I can get over my…. infatuation….with a certain person..._

Admittedly, she did look heavenly. However, deep down inside, he knew that she may have been good-looking, but she was not attractive to Nico….nor would she ever be.  
\- -  
The walk from Biology to English and from English to Spanish were two different journeys. One was thought provoking, the other was a stress factory. Because they both shared the same Spanish class, Will and Nico would walk together (much to Nico’s heartache).

“Man, spanish is so simple this year,” Will commented as they neared the foreign language building.

“It probably has something to do with us taking the class in middle school,” Nico responded. Both Nico and Will had decided to re-take Spanish 1 due to the fact that their Middle School teacher knew about as much Spanish as a tourist. All they ever did were listen to songs and watch movies.

“Yeah I guess…or maybe its just because we are really really smart,” Will said with a smirk. Nico found that to ease his emotions he would sometimes make fun of Will ( _No it isn’t flirting!….I think.._ )

“Well half of that is true. One of us is truly intelligent, the other…ehh…not so much,” Nico shot back. Will put up a fake offended face and commented on how he was extremely knowledgeable. For some reason, to prove his intelligence, Will would always give a random fact.

“Did you know that Earthworms have five hearts? Huh? Because I did,” Will said, trying to prove his learning ability.

If I had five hearts, they would all be beating for you and only you, Nico thought, but quickly cleared his mind. The rest of Spanish class was a blur. Their seating chart became official, and Nico and Will were separated. Every few minutes, Nico had the urge to stare at Will’s celestial golden hair as if it were some sort of magnet. Sometimes Will would stare back. For minutes they would stare at each other, just looking into the eyes of one another.

People say eyes are the gateway to the soul. However, each time, Nico was able to see the reflection of his own should in the hazelnut eyes of another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I mentioned before, not all characters have same roles as they did in PJO. *cough* Hazel *cough*


End file.
